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Ezekiel 24:6-9 The bloody city - Day 264

Good morning fellow pilgrims,

On his journey to the Celestial City, Pilgrim was confronted with many distractions and temptations to desert the narrow path and fell victim to some of them.  I pray that today's devotional will encourage you on your journey and that we will help each other to stay on the narrow way that leads to life.

Blessings,

Jeff

 The bloody city - Jerusalem.  Just thinking about all the sacrifices required by the law taking place in the temple.  So in one sense, this makes Jerusalem a bloody city.  But these sacrifices cleansed the people and the place and being bloody was a good thing.  However, here, God is condemning all the blood from pagan practices (including child sacrifice) that had been adopted by Judah and Israel.  That blood brought uncleanness on the people and the place.  

I find myself back at the second commandment.  The answers to  Westminster Shorter Catechism questions 50 - 52

The second commandment requires the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his Word.

The second commandment forbids the worshiping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his Word.

The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he has to his own worship.

Once the authority of God's word is rejected, there is no end to the innovations that man makes to improve his "experience" in worship.

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